Fire-box door.



PATENTED DEC. 3l, 1907.

/////// X/l//l/ FIRE BOX DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED IULYza. 1906.

W. D. WESTBROOK.

//f/kSSI-S M. www@ rf i y f. W M W m W f6 ff i9 `To all whom it may concern:

WILLAM D IWESTBROOK, OF GLENWOOD, MINNESOTA.

FIRE-BOX DORI no. svaoai.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application iled July 25, 1906- Serial No. 327.757.

Patented IlDec. Si, i907.

Be it known that l, WILLiAM D. WEST- ."enoor, of Glenwood, Pope county, Minneseta, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Fire-BOX Doors, of which the following isa s ecification.

'y means, embodying my invention.

a similar view on a section line substantially va ve mechanism for contro `part of this specification; Figure l is My invention re ates to 'lire-box doors and lparticularly to those of a locomotive.

The object of my invention is to provide means for easil and quickly opening and closing the fire- X doors to prevent, so far as possible, the-entrance of cold air into the box and to facilitate the operation of Title invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a sectional view of a fire-box door o erating i ig. 2 is at right angles to the section line of Fig. i. Fi 3 isa front view showing in section, the

ling the admission of air to the cylinder.

doors arran ed to slide horizontally between guides 5 an S and adapted to close the opening to the lire box or expose it for convenlill ience in feeding fuel in upon the gratos. 7lhese doors usuali, swing and each time the 'hreman 'Elle his sY ovel with fuel the door should be closed to reventl, so far as possible, the entrance of co d air to the fire. however, a tedious and laborious operation for the reman to o en and close the door each time a shovelfu of fuel is placed on the lire. l therefore, provide a cylinder 7 beneaththe doors -3 and 4 havin pistons 8 provided with stems 9 connecte at their outer ends by the straps l0 with the doors 3 and 4. A pipe il communicates with the .space in the cylinder between the pistons and a similar pipe 12 communicates through branches i3 with each end of the cylinder. The ipes Ell and l2 lead from a valve casing 14 w erein. a valve 15 is arranged. An annular groove 16 is provided in said valve near the middle thereof communicating with the pipe e i7 which leads from the air reservoir. T

groove 1.6 communicates with a recess i8 in the surface of the valve and when the parts are in the position shownin Fig. l, air will flow in through the pipe 17 and through the annular groove to the pipe l2 and entering the ends of the cylinder will cause'its pistons to travel toward one another and close the tire box door. As soon, however, as the valve is depressed so that the said groove will register with the'fpipe 1l, then the air will be admitted into the cylinder between the pistons and instantly open the doors.

A recess 19 is formed in the lower end of the valve normally communicating with the pipe 11 so that said pipe 'will be on the exaust when the air is being admitted to the c linder through the pipe l2. To operate t e valve 15, l preferito provide a treadle 20 normally held in a raised position by a spring 21 but adapted to be depressed by the foot of the iireman for the purpose of admitting air or other fluid pressure throu h the pipe l1 for the purpose of opening' t e doors while the fuel is being thrown lmfAs soon as the fireman removes his foot from the treadle the spring 2l will'return to its normalposition, raise the valve, allow the exhaust o the air through the pipe il from between the istons and admit air to theends of the cylmdcr to 'move the pistons toward one another and close the doors. This operation can be easily and quickly performed each time the fireman throws a shovelful of fuel in u on the fire. When-the fireman approaches t e lireboX with a shovelful of fuel, he will place his foot on the treadle 20, depress the valve and admit the fluid* ressure to the'space between the pistons 8, w ereupon the'do'ors will be instantly opened and as soon as the fuel is thrown in, the fireman will remove his foot from the treadle and the doors will instantly close. y

l claim as my invention:

The combination, with `a locomotive boiler firebox having a fuel opening, of doors 3 and 4 arranged to close said'opening, guides 5 and 6 between which said doors are slidable in a `vertical plane, a cylinder 7 horizontally arsaid pistons are moved toward each other,

there being a space provided between said pistons near the middle of s'aid cylinder, a pipe l1 communicating with said space, a

Q y arenal' pipe 12 having branches leading to the ends thev opening and closing of said doors, sulon 1o of said cylinder, a valve casing 14 oommunistantially as described.

eating with said pipes l11 and 12 and with a In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my source of fluid supply, a sliding valve Within hand this 18th day of July 1906.

said casing and arranged to alternately admit fluid pressure through said pipes 11 and WLLIAM D WESTBRGOK y 12 to the middle of said cylinder and to the Witnesses:

ends thereof and a treadle connected to said RICHARD PAUL, valve and whereby the fireman can control J. B. ERA 

